Cooper Mead

Senior Writer

Bison struggle over Parents Weekend

The football team took on Sacred Heart in front of a crowded Christy-Mathewson Memorial Stadium on Sept. 28. The Bison lost 16-0 to the 5-0 Pioneers, which was marked by six Bison turnovers (four interceptions and two fumbles) that significantly hurt the Bison offensive momentum.

The Bison offense had a difficult night and greatly missed quarterback Brandon Wesley ’14, right guard Nevin Hagman ’15, running back Matt DelMauro ’16 and All-Patriot League defensive end Sean Sellers ’14 who all had injuries. Trey Lauletta ’15 started the game at quarterback for the Bison and went 10-26 for 59 yards in the air and added nine runs including a 27-yard scramble. On the ground, CJ Williams ’17 led the Bison as he carried the ball 21 times and tallied 66 yards, which puts him at 256 yards for the year. Adding to the Bison ground game, Charles Thompson ’14 had two carries for 15 yards and Brian Regan ’16 ran eight times for 33 yards. Despite struggling in the first half with 29 yards of total offense, the Bison rebounded in the second half and recorded 135 yards of total offense compared to Sacred Heart’s 114 total yards.

The Bison defense continues to be a force to be reckoned with as it had another significant game. In an impressive feat, the Bison held the potent Pioneers offense to a season-low 16 points compared to its average of 46.5 points per game coming into the contest. The solid defensive performance was highlighted by Matthew Steinbeck’s ’15 11 tackles, Evan Byers’ ’15 10 tackles, and Lee Marvel’s ’15 eight tackles.

The battle was scoreless until the beginning of the second quarter when the Pioneer quarterback connected on a 64-yard pass play. The subsequent extra point was blocked by Brent Forbes ’14 to keep the score at 6-0.

“They were a good team, but we are moving on and starting to prepare for Lafayette. We are working towards the first league win of the season,” Forbes said.

As the half concluded, Sacred Heart hit a 33-yard field goal to bring the score to 9-0. In the second half, the Pioneers were largely stifled by the Bison defense. They were able to tally one more touchdown at the 2:02 mark in the fourth quarter when they scored on a 20-yard run.

“You can’t win football games turning the ball over as many times as we’ve done the last two weeks. It’s something we’re working to get better at and we will get better at … we are looking forward to getting back on the winning side,” captain Travis Friend ’14 said.

The Bison will hope to rebound and minimize turnovers as they head to Lafayette to take on the fellow Patriot League contender at 3:30 p.m. tomorrow.